SAVE MONEY ON YOUR LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Latin band Mariachi Mextecca

Money Saving tips for your music event by The Morris Agency

If you are feeling the pinch and the credit crunch has bitten into your Entertainment or Music budget, don’t panic! here are some cost saving options from The Morris Agency that look and sound great and doesnt take you over that budget.

Less can be more

Many of our clients find that a combination of solo or duo musicians and a DJ and if budget will allow can go a lot further than just a main band in the evening.

ROAMING ACOUSTIC BANDS

Are a perfect new option for anyone who is restricted on budget, space and sound volume. Performing large repertoires, dynamic and roaming, they are brilliant when you want an unusual band to entertain your guests.

HOW LOUD IS A LIVE BAND?

Sound limiters for live bands comparison

If you are having a party or having your wedding reception with a live band, you may find that the venue you visit mentions a sound limiter to you. They may not, and this is always a good question to ask them. The thing is that, most venues are reluctant to tell you as they either don’t know much about it or feel that you might not book with them as a result. as you can see below:

What is a Sound limiter?
Its a device that is set at circa 95 db and limits the sound that is used to restrict noise pollution. Normally positioned on a wall, it cuts out the power to the unit that the band would plug their equipment into.( looking a bit like this: http://www.sound-light-company.co.uk/soundlimiters.php )

What are the issues?

Besides the potential cutting of power resulting in possible equipment damage, the main area for concern for you is this; if you can picture the scene:

The band are in the middle of a song and the power cuts out, the band lights and equipment goes off and you then have to wait for it to reset and then they can restart. Pretty disruptive for you and annoying when it happens more than once.

The other side effect to sound limiters on a performance is that the band might be conscious of keeping the sound down that they are not giving it their all and also have to keep an eye on the limiter.

Can you get around it?
As it is the local council enforcing the installation it is not even possible to bypass by going through another power source. It would be helpful to find out where the band are likely to be positioned in relation to the limiter as this can make a difference.
Below is a guide to db ratings that might put it into perspective:

Near total silence – 0 dBA whisper – 15 dB

Normal conversation – 60 dB

A lawnmower – 90 dB

A car horn – 110 dB

A rock concert or a jet engine – 120 dB

A gunshot or firecracker – 140 dB

Other options for bands that have no issues with sound limiters can be found here

HOW MUCH IS A WEDDING BAND?

Cost of wedding bands UK

When you are looking at hiring a band for your wedding you might be thinking that maybe don’t need to stretch the budget that much really. I mean, is it that important?
Well the answer to that is yes it is pretty important.
If you have ever been to a wedding before then do you honestly remember the wedding cake or the favours or the flowers? I imagine, not really.
The amount of times I do hear from people that they remember the music if it was good or bad!
I make a lot of bookings for the same bands due to seeing them at a wedding.
I would put it to you all that it is something that fills up such a large percentage of the day and evening, it is something that your evening guests experience as well as the day ones. On average this is from 3 to 4 hours and is what the day ends on.

So with the average cost of a wedding cake being £500 or more maybe there should be more consideration to a lasting memory and the cost of that?

Top 10 Wedding Songs

Here is an introduction into how to choose your live wedding band first dance…..

Is your favourite here? The final Top 10 went like this:

Aerosmith – Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing

Bryan Adams – Everything I Do (I Do It For You)

Lonestar – Amazed

Shania Twain – You’re Still The One

Shania Twain – From This Moment

Van Morrison – Have I Told You Lately

James Blunt – You’re Beautiful

Savage Garden – Truly Madly Deeply

Robbie Williams – Angels

Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You

Is old-fashioned best when it comes to your first dance song? Only three of the top 10 wedding songs date from the past few years: James Blunt’s ‘You’re Beautiful’, Robbie’s ‘Angels’ and Savage Garden’s ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’.

Unusual Choices

Looking for something a little less predictable? Our complete Popular Wedding Songs list contains a wide range of songs with something to suit every taste. Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Elton John bring classic romance to the list, with tunes that were simply made to be popular wedding songs .

But there are also plenty of unusual choices for your first dance song. Cool couples are choosing Snow Patrol (Chasing Cars), Jack Johnson (Better Together), or David Gray (Sail Away). And there’s the mother’s choice – Ronan Keating, Westlife or Robbie have plenty of tracks simply made to be first dance songs.

Father / Daughter Wedding Songs

Traditionally, the bride and groom will be alone on the dancefloor for the first dance song. Sometimes the bride’s father will cut in and dance with the bride halfway through, but sometimes the second dance is reserved for the bride and her father. Brides who have more than one father figure may wish to dance with both during the song. If the father of the bride wants to choose a song, you might want to direct him to this page!

Bette Midler – Wind Beneath My Wings

Bob Carlisle – Butterfly Kisses

Charlie Rich – The Most Beautiful Girl

Luther Vandross – Dance With My Father

Nat ‘King’ Cole – Unforgettable

Paul Simon – Father and Daughter

Temptations – My Girl

Mother / Son Wedding Songs

Shortly after the bride and her father take to the floor, they are traditionally followed by the groom and his mother. Finally, the newlyweds dance with their in-laws, and bridesmaids and ushers join the dancing.

Boyz II Men – A Song For Mama

Boyzone – No Matter What

Commodores – Three Times a Lady

Deniece Williams – Let’s Hear It For The Boy

Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight

Queen – You’re My Best Friend

Robbie Williams – She’s The One

First Dance Tips

The very thought of their fiancé throwing his best moves on the dancefloor is enough to give most brides palpitations. If you or your beloved spouse are lacking in the disco department, it may be a good idea to take a couple of dance lessons. Many dance tutors and schools offer short wedding dance courses to couples who want to pick up some moves – fast…

Visit UK-Jive to find your nearest modern jive / LeRoc / Ceroc class.

Alternatively, how about live dance lessons – at the wedding? “We hired a big band and a swing-style singer for our wedding reception,” explains Anna Hollisey, who married last year in South Wales. “We wanted to get everyone dancing but we didn’t want to embarrass ourselves! So we hired two dance tutors to come and provide an hour’s dance lesson at the start of the evening. I think we were the slowest to learn, but it had everyone crying with laughter!”

We are pleased to announce lots more walkabout bands for hire from all different genres in UK .Since the success of Mariachi Doritos and other sing o grams we will be launching a sing-o-gram section on the site dedicated to walkabout duos and walkabout bands that play acoustic music and serenades.

Most people don’t know how much musicians and other artists charge for their services. We don’t want anyone to be disappointed so we have put together a rough guide to help you out. Please note this a guide ONLY and the factors below will determine the exact price.

We have many string quartet bands available to book for your wedding reception or corporate event. We have lots of different styles of classical acts playing beethoven, haydn, mozart and shostakovich. Ideal for background music to create a sophisticated event. We have something to suit every pocket from classical solo pianists and classsical guitarists all the way to large classical orchestras.

Requests to hire Jazz bands are among our most popular. If you are looking to hire a band for a wedding or looking to book a band for a corporate party or conference, or even hire a jazz band for an office party, visit our jazz band hire section for more information.